Smart coolant pump

Abstract

A smart coolant pump for a robotic or computer-controlled machine. The smart pump uses a servo motor rather than a conventional industrial motor such as an induction motor. The smart pump has inherent torque and speed sensing, and a controller integrated with the computer-controlled machine controller. The motor torque / speed sensing and coolant pressure / flow sensing enable immediate detection of any anomalous conditions such as low coolant level or coolant port blockage. The smart pump can be configured to run at a certain speed and provide a specific coolant pressure and flow rate for each machining operation performed at the station, and to run at a very low speed between machining operations. This speed configurability saves energy and allows the pump and coolant to run at lower temperatures compared to conventional constant-speed coolant pumps.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of the priority date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 728,910, titled SMART COOLANT PUMP, filed Sep. 10, 2018.BACKGROUNDField[0002]The present disclosure relates to the field of coolant pumps and, more particularly, to a coolant pump for a robotic or computer-controlled machine which uses a servomotor with a controller and sensors for measuring coolant pressure and flow rate during drilling / machining operations, which in turn enables early detection of any problems involving low coolant level or coolant flow blockage, and further enables automatic adjustment of pump speed based on real time coolant requirements as dictated by the drilling / machining operation which is taking place.Discussion of the Related Art[0003]Automated robotic drilling / machining stations and computer numerical control (CNC) machines are known in the art which perform complex, multi-axis, multi-tool machining opera...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a special coolant pump for a computer-controlled machining station. The pump uses a special servo motor, which allows it to sense its own torque and speed. This means it can detect any problems with the coolant level or flow right away. The pump can also adjust its speed to save energy and keep the coolant at a lower temperature compared to traditional pumps. This results in better performance and lower temperatures for the machine.

Problems solved by technology

Although the simple coolant pumps described above can perform adequately, they often pump more coolant than is needed for a given operation, resulting in unnecessary energy usage.

Furthermore, the frequent switching off and on of these pumps increases wear and tear on the pump, which increases the amount of maintenance and repair required.

In addition, simple coolant pumps cannot detect problems related to low coolant level or low coolant flow rate, and these problems can quickly result in damage to parts and tools in the CNC machine.

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